His Greatest Loss
by TheCreativeOne17
Summary: Months ago, Lucas wrote a paper on his greatest loss some how after his adopted father is killed, he knows it holds nothing compared to losing the man he loved most. Lucas can't help but feel to blame for his death especially when loved ones tell him so.
1. Stars of the Universe

The leaves crunched under his dress shoes as he walked up the hill to the grave. His heart was drowning in a hundred sorrows to fill the ocean that stretched a few miles away. Tears filled his eyes that were the color of the midnight sky. Typically, they held the glory of the stars of the universe amongst them but since the fateful day a week ago, those stars lost their magnitude due to a heavy blanket of fog.

Lucas Scott never experienced pain like this, the roaring throbbing pain coming from his heart with every passing minute. Physically, yes, he had experienced such pain coming from his heart but emotionally this had been a first time. His thoughts faced a vicious spinning circle. He just could not let himself move pass the fact that Keith died. Keith, his uncle that sacrificed so much so Lucas could have a man to rightfully call father, had been killed the week before.

Months before, Lucas and his entire literature class had an assignment to write about loss. He could not place at that moment what exactly he wrote as his greatest loss but he knew that it would not compare to the empty hole Keith left behind. After eighteen years of selflessly loving Lucas like his own son, Keith went out to sign papers to officially adopt Lucas during school. Lucas and he would go out for dinner and a basketball game in Charlotte to commemorate the event after school. That day had been January 26. The day of the shooting.


	2. Shots Ring Out

Lucas found himself for the first time ever that day, counting down the minutes until literature class ended. Ten minutes before the bell would announce the dismal for the weekend, two gun shots screamed in the hallway. Everyone in the class stopped what they were doing as they looked at one another. The looks exchanged in the classroom inquired whether if one another heard what was just done.

Lucas rose out of his seat after closing his notebook and peered out of the door. He saw chaos in the hallways as students ran around, teenagers ran around helplessly screaming. Lucas saw his best friend Haley James run pass the door frantically screaming orders. In that moment, since the teacher had been down the hall getting copies, Lucas took charge of the classroom. He ordered everyone to get against the wall of the door. He turned off the lights and locked the door.

The entire classroom sat under the chalkboard terrified of what would happen to them or their fellow classmates. His mind spinning with fear, Lucas went through all his friends wondering if they would be okay. Fifteen minutes went by and his curiosity began to develop into panic. He would hate to know they were hurt somewhere and all he did had been to hide in the A.P. Literature class.

Lucas stood up and grabbed a golf club that stood next to his teacher's desk. Lucas had always found it rather humorous that Mr. Marshall kept several golf clubs next to his desk but today he was grateful. He walked over to the door and began to unlock it.

"Lucas, what are you doing?" George Stephens, a fellow classmate, asked nervously.

Lucas turned his eyes to the boy and found everyone staring at him terrified. He gulped and slowly spoke, "I have to go out there and see if anyone is hurt."

He did not even give them a chance to respond as he opened the door and shut it behind him. The hall was completely quiet but littered with backpacks. Lucas took small steps down the hall as his heart raced. As he approached a corner, he heard careful footsteps other then his own. He stopped right at the corner and took a deep breath.

Lucas jumped out of the corner with the golf club ready to be swung but before he could swing, he was shoved up against the wall. As his head slammed against the wall, he spoke,

"Nathan, what are you doing?" Lucas inquired as his collar of his shirt was held tightly by his younger half brother.

Nathan Scott's grip loosened as he recognized his older brother. "Sorry, I thought you were the shooter."

Lucas looked at his younger brother. Nathan held a baseball bat in his grip. Only the Scott boys would defend themselves with some kind of sports equipment.

"Dude, I have to find Haley. Have you seen her?" Nathan asked with concern lingering in his voice.

"I saw her run towards the tutor center, but I honestly don't know." Lucas replied wishing he knew where his best friend ended up.

"She's probably there. I'm going to go find her." Nathan started to head over towards the suspected area where his wife was.

"Hey Nate," Lucas stopped him. "Just in case, you know something happens…I just wanted to say that…well you know,"

"Yeah, me too man." Nathan interjected.

Both boys stared at each other just in case it would be the last time they would see each other in the state they both were in. They nodded and parted ways. Lucas found a trail of blood and immediately felt his heart let him know it was someone he loved. At the doors leading to the hallway that led to the Library, Lucas opened a door and accidentally let it slam behind him. He closed his eyes as the sound echoed the hallway. His heart began to hammer in his chest as he realized he possibly

Moments passed with no one arising to threaten his life, so Lucas proceeded to walk out to the hallway where there would be doors that would lead to the library. Just as he entered the room, a figure called behind him;

"Don't take another step, Lucas."


	3. Keith's Son

Just before the terrifying ordeal, Keith Scott was just pulling into the parking lot of the high school. The bell would ring in ten minutes. Keith anxiously waited for those ten minutes like the rest of the day. He could not wait to spend the night with his son. His son, the thoughts gave him chills. He pulled out the yellow piece of paper that officially called Lucas his son. He really could not find a reason why he did not do it sooner but nevertheless, he was happy. He loved Lucas so dearly ever since the day he had been born.

Keith sat in his jeep drinking coffee from Karen's Café waiting for time to pass. He stopped by to show Karen it was official that Lucas was their son. She nearly cried seeing the paper. She felt so overjoyed to know her son had a man to call father since his own disowned him right at conception.

Keith sat smiling at all the memories the three of them shared and would continue to as the years would roll by. His happy thoughts were interrupted as he heard gunshots followed by a loud scream. He immediately put the coffee on a cup holder and the paper in his back pocket. He emerged out of his car as did all the parents in the cars around him. His heart beat sky rocketed as he saw all the familiar faces hurrying out of the building but he did not see his son coming out.

As minutes slowly passed, Keith forced himself to breathe as there were still no sign of the tall blonde boy he had just adopted an hour ago. Parents around him were being reunited with their children, it would be only time, till he would be with his. Brooke Davis came into his line of vision. He hurried over to her.

The beautiful girl looked terrified as she approached Keith. He opened up his arms to hold her and she received him warmly. Once she pulled away, Keith spent no time asking questions,

"Where's Lucas?"

Brooke began to cry, "I didn't see him. I was walking with Peyton when it happened. She was right next to me…then we saw someone with a gun. I went to scream but I was interrupted by it being fired. Next thing I knew Peyton was not by my side anymore. I was being pushed away by everyone. I lost her."

Keith consoled Brooke as she continued to cry. He realized he had to tell Karen but just as he was about to, she pulled up in her sedan. Brooke saw her and pulled away from Keith. Karen and Keith ran towards each other.

"Where's Lucas?" Karen fired.

"We haven't seen him yet." Keith replied.

Karen's heart fell to her stomach. Her thoughts began to imagine life without her son. She did not even get to say goodbye let alone see him that morning. Just before she left to go open the café, she almost thought about looking in his room like she did every morning when he was younger. However, she woke up later then she had planned so she skipped it. Now, she wished she had peaked in on her little boy.

"What if he's hurt, Keith? I can't lose my little boy…" she began to cry.

Keith took her face in his hands, "He's going to be okay, I know it." he took his thumb and wiped away her tears, "Knowing our boy, he's probably in there rescuing people. He's quite the hero."

"He gets it from you." Karen sniffed.

Keith smiled as he held back his own tears, "He gets it from both of us." The two lovers gazed at one another, and then Keith remembered the life changing even that took place that day. He pulled the form out of his back pocket. The two of them looked at the form together as Keith wrapped around her waist. He kissed her forehead as she nestled under his neck.

Karen took the paper in her hands. Tears of joy slid down her cheeks as she read the official paper again. "No matter what any kind of science or DNA says, you are his real father, you always have been." Karen spoke happily but then her face grew grim. "Hopefully he'll live to see this."

Forcing the evil thought aside, Keith joked "He lives through this, I'll buy that kid a car…heck, I'll buy him anything."


	4. A Heart's Reconcilation

Lucas slowly turned around. He found one of his childhood best friends standing there with a small pistol in his grasp. The small black gun was pointed at Lucas. Lucas gulped as he began to shake. He could not believe that Jimmy Edwards stood there with a gun pointed at him.

"You did this Jimmy?"

"Nope, people like you did." Jimmy responded unemotionally.

Confused, Lucas head turned sideways. He had always treated Jimmy with respect. Jimmy was almost like a brother to him. What did he do wrong? How did the way he treated Jimmy lead him to point a gun at him? He had no idea what he did to deserve to have a gun stuck out in front of his face.

Lucas almost asked what Jimmy had meant by the reply, but the heavy weight of locating whoever was hurt hurried him. "Jimmy, I have to find who's hurt."

Jimmy fiddled with the gun in his hands and he contemplated what he should do. He really wanted Lucas to stay with him so he could get his revenge on him. Lucas never really did anything wrong, if anything he was one of the best friends he had ever had. Jimmy needed someone's blood though, to atone for all the pain he had experienced in the agonizing years of high school. Lucas though would be an excellent target for his revenge.

If Jimmy shot Lucas and in the end killed himself as well, people would mourn. Sure, they would mostly grieve over Lucas's death but on the day Jimmy Edwards died, someone out there would cry. It sounded absurd as the idea grew but his hurting heart needed reconciliation. He lifted his arm that held the gun and shakingly pointed it to his once upon a time best friend. He slowly pulled back the trigger.

"Someone has to pay for all the pain I have been through." Jimmy hissed.

Lucas took a deep shaky breath. The world's weight in guilt fell down upon him. How could he just have let Jimmy slip away over the course of the last two years? Why didn't he call him up to go fishing like they use to over the years? If Lucas made it out of this ordeal, he didn't think he could ever forgive himself especially if something happened to Peyton, even Jimmy.

"I am sorry Jim, I should have been there for you. When you were in the hospital…I should have stopped in to check on you." Lucas remembered seeing him, a year ago, laying there half conscious with no one by his side.

He had no idea why Jimmy was there but there were no visitors. The room was dark. He had no flowers, no cards bringing much needed color in the room, nothing to show support. He seriously considering going into the room to check on him but a quick glance at his watch revealed he would be late getting to practice. He left school early so he could to the hospital to get his heart medication refilled before basketball practice. Lucas almost went into the room, but being since months had rolled by without either of them talking to one another, he decided against it.

Now a year later, Lucas hated himself for letting a stupid game get in the way of visiting him. A game that Jimmy had been there every step of the way of his so called career. Lucas figured he deserved to get shot for being a terrible friend. Everyone always bragged about how good he was a friend, but it came easy to him. It came easy to him to be there for people like Haley, Nathan, Peyton, Brooke, Skills, Mouth, and everyone else but Jimmy was difficult to keep up with it. He wanted to but some days the extra effort was too much.

"Jimmy, don't do it." Lucas began to choke.


	5. A Brave Soul Among Cowards

_Hi there! So I keep having short submissions because I am not too sure what the fate will be for Lucas. I kind of want him to end up getting shot but I cannot figure out how. Any suggestions? Anywhoo...heres this, I guess chapter, I am not to sure about it yet... _

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Keith could barely take it anymore. He held both Karen and Brooke in his arms as they waited to see their beloved Lucas emerge somewhere, anywhere. Keith had been flirting with the idea of going into the school and finding his neph-son himself. What if the boy was really hurt somewhere and all he did was to be a crying shoulder for the two women?

Keith saw his little hot shot brother talking to the town's detective. He pulled Karen in to kiss her on the forehead. "I'll be right back."

Karen nodded as she let go of Keith and wrapped her arms around Brooke. Brooke's trembling body needed comfort as much as she did. Karen watched the love of her life head over to her son's biological father.

Keith had hoped the horrible events taking place would allow Dan Scott to push past his arrogance and allow to the two to talk about what was happening. He stopped next to his little brother waiting for him to finish talking to the detective about what moves the police should make. Once they were finished, Dan spoke without even looking at Keith;

"Can I help you?"

Ignoring the attitude in his voice, Keith asked. "Do we know who did this, Dan?"

"Some monster named Jimmy Edwards." Dan reported unemotionally.

Keith could not believe it. Jimmy Edwards was a good kid, he wasn't capable of going into a school with a gun, was he? Keith took Lucas and him on several occasions fishing when they were kids. They loved it. Jimmy was quiet around everyone else but when he was with Lucas, the boy would and could talk for hours.

"I know him, he's a good kid."

Dan looked at his older brother, "Your definition of 'good' kid must be messed up then."

Keith really had no desire to bicker with his brother knowing it would be truly pointless. He had one main desire and that was to find out where his son was. "Do you know how many kids are inside still?"

"My son is in there somewhere. If that monster touches Nathan, I will make sure he serves time in hell." Dan spoke with gritted teeth.

Keith noticed how Dan only cared to mention one of his sons. The other son held no value to him whatsoever. Keith had been apart of Lucas's life as Dan neglected him over and over again. Sometimes the only attention Dan would give his oldest son was just harassment and badgering about stupid stuff. It took everything not to destroy Dan for hurting such a great young man.

Keith tried to swallow his anger towards his younger ignorant brother and pay attention to the problem at hand, his son and even nephew were in a school where a young man was holding a gun and shooting it.

"Dan, why don't you let me go in there and talk to Jimmy?" Keith suggested.

He was not all too sure, what he could say to the boy. Keith had a lot of the same problems growing up as Jimmy had faced. Maybe talking about how he knew the pain the boy was going through and he pushed through some way some how and it proved worth it.

"If that is what you want to do, go ahead." Dan responded unemotionally as he turned his head towards the detective who was about to ask him something.

Keith took a deep breath and headed over to the most beautiful woman alive. He grabbed her hands inside of his. He made sure to look into her brilliant olive green eyes just in case he would never see them again. "I'm going into the school…"

"No," Karen interrupted fearfully. "you can't. I already have one person in there I love, I can't have two."

Keith took a deep breath and tightened his grip on her, "I will be right back. Next time you see me, I will be coming out with our son."


	6. Author's Note

Intermission report- : )

Hey there my loyal friends, I thank you all for your support! I am sorry for the short updates, if I was reading this I would be so ready to kill the author for bringing such short updates. I have been stalling because I cannot think of what will happen to our Lucas. I have figured out what I am going to do...

I have come to some good ideas but it is at the cost of taking some of my story apart. I am removing a good chunk of stuff that has to with Peyton. I am not having Lucas find Peyton and saving her and all that stuff that goes with that. So you may want to, for clarity sake, reread the story.

Okay, clear as mud? Just know Peyton hero stuff will be taken out and I am changing everything around. Thanks for reading and baring with me. : )


	7. I've Got You, Dad

Lucas stood on the other end of the barrel of the gun closing his eyes tightly. The moments anticipating the bullet to come charging out were the longest in he had ever experienced in his life. He tried to turn his attention to something else, anything else.

Lucas made goodbyes in his mind. Just as he was about to start going through who he loved, a door slowly click open behind him. He could not bring himself to open his eyes and see if it was another shooter.

"What are you doing here? The school is on lockdown!" Jimmy shouted angrily.

"I know Jimmy," Keith's voice answered.

Lucas felt tears build in his eyes hearing his uncle, well now father's, voice behind him. Keith was always saving him. He always managed to come in at the right time through out Lucas's seventeen years of life.

"Can you let him go, Jimmy?" Keith continued. "You and I can talk about this."

Lucas opened his eyes slowly to see Jimmy unsure of what to do. The young boy looked at Lucas in the eye with his gun still pointed at him. Lucas saw past the terror in his eyes and saw an old friend so full hurt. He wished he could have done something to prevent this. He went to open his mouth but,

"Go on, get out of here!" Jimmy yelled.

Lucas turned around and started to walk backwards. He stopped right in front of Keith, afraid to leave him to face the barrel of the gun alone.

"Go on son," Keith spoke softly and gracefully slipped something in Lucas's back pocket. "Take that for the road."

Lucas looked hard at Keith, his uncle…his father as of that day. He for some reason could tell that it would be the last time he saw him. If Jimmy killed him, he should kill Lucas with him. Lucas could not imagine the idea of losing Keith, it pained his heart too much to let himself dwell on the possibility.

"Keith…" Lucas began.

"Luke, I love you son…but it's time for you to go." Keith finished. He looked at his beautiful son. He smiled lightly feeling so proud of him and the man he had become.

Lucas wanted Keith to come with him but there were no words that would that would persuade him otherwise. He turned around to head out of the door. He began to walk out when he heard the worst sound in the whole world, a loud gun shot slicing through the tension filled air. Lucas's body snapped back into the hallway to see his uncle lying their on his back with a pool of blood forming on his chest.

"No!" Lucas screamed rushing to his uncle's side.

Lucas fell to the ground near him and screamed his name over and over again. He brought Keith's head to his and said over and over, "Keith, hang on. I'm going to get you out of here!"

Lucas felt for a pulse, something to show him life. The rhythm grew slower and slower as the seconds passed by. He looked up at Jimmy. The boy looked as if he could not believe what he had just done. His dark brown eyes full of desperation filled with remorse.

Lucas filled with the most terrible form of rage. His entire body began to tremble with anger. His heart rate raced and it began to hurt warning him to calm down. A stupid messed up heart would not settle him down from his anger. He would have grabbed the gun from Jimmy himself and shot him, but he needed to get his dad some help.

Lucas scooped up his dad's slowly dying body in his arms. "I've got you dad, I got you."

As Lucas carried him, his memory remembered a time when he was riding his bike when he was five years old. He was whizzing down the block showing off to his mother, Keith, and Haley. He hit a rock that sent him flying off his bike. His face slammed against the hard cement pavement leading his nose to take the brunt of the fall.

Keith ran over instantly. He scooped the tiny little blonde hair boy in his arms seeing the massive amount of blood pouring out. "I've got you Luke, I've got you." the man reassured the little boy over and over.

With tears filling his eyes remembering that day, Lucas got out of the school without even saying anything to Jimmy. The boy could kill himself for all he cared. Lucas carried Keith's dying body outside. Every step he took ripped through his chest but he had to keep walking even though dizziness clouded his vision completely.

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ehh...I really can't say I am all too proud of this chapter! Let me know honestly what you think...


	8. Loss of a Heartbeat

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Well...two updates in one day, pretty awesome, huh? : )

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Karen waited anxiously for the two men she loved to emerge out of the school. Brooke and her stood next to each other without exchanging any kind of conversation. Karen almost felt envious of the seventeen year old girl next to her. She at least got to see Lucas that day. Karen felt her heartbreak at the thought of not getting to say goodbye to her son if the worse should happen. Her thoughts would turn evil like that, considering the idea she may not see him again, but just as her mind would have the gun shoot him, it would turn off not letting her think those horrible things.

Sometime in that horrible cycle, a loud shot cried out inside. Karen's heart stopped for a brief moment who it hit. The fear of the possible circled around her like a merry go around that would not let her get off. She placed her hand on her chest and prayed over and over again that God would protect her boys.

Fifteen minutes after the gunshot, a boy came out of the school carrying someone. Karen squinted to get a better look. As the child approached closer, she saw his bright blonde spiked hair.

"Lucas!" she allowed herself to scream. Her legs moved her towards her only son, but upon seeing who he was carrying, she stopped. Her stomach opened up its claws and swallowed her heart inside the depths of it.

Keith lied inside Lucas's shaking arms with his head bent awkwardly. His eyes were closed and all color had been drained from his face. A dark red puddle grew bigger and bigger around his chest as every moment passed by.

A group of members of the SWAT team circled around Lucas blocking Karen's view. As she strained for a better view, being she couldn't move, Brooke reached out and grabbed her hand.

One of the officers went to take Keith out of Lucas's grasp, he fought it at first. He would not and could not lose him. The man urged Lucas to let go of Keith. Reluctantly, Lucas handed over Keith. As he let go, he saw his hands were shaking and his fingertips were covered in blood.

Lucas watched the officer carried Keith away. He reached his arm out for him but another officer stood in his way. The surrounding officers forced Lucas upon the ground as they patted him down for weapons. With his face against the pavement, Lucas's heart screamed in agony. His entire body slowly become numb started from his left hand.

The officers lifted Lucas up and told him to go find his mother. He stumbled slowly to her as his legs became slowly frozen. She met him half way and pulled him into her arms.

Lucas trembled in her safe arms. He looked up at an ambulance that sat twenty feet away and saw Keith on a stretcher right outside of it. One paramedic took a white sheet and started to cover him with it. Lucas pushed his mother away and ran over to the stretcher.

"Keith!" Lucas began to cry, "Dad!"

The paramedics pushed the stretcher into the ambulance as Lucas cried. Tears fell down his cheeks as he watched it drive away. The pain in his heart screamed an all time high. He grabbed his chest. Sweat filled on his neck and his brow. His heart pounded more furiously as the moments passed. His eyes drew heavy and so did his body. Suddenly, his whole body went numb. His legs buckled underneath him and he came down hard on the payment.


	9. Written Proof

_If you want to get your emotions going with reading the chapter, go to youtube- type in Any Other Name by Thomas Newman, and play it while youre reading this. It got me as I was writing. Just an idea... _

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The gun shot rattled inside his head over and over. Jimmy stood at the other end of the gun and his face cracked an evil, satisfied smirk. He was in slow motion running to his father. He fell down and tried to wake up his father. He scooped him in his arms and carried him out of the school.

Lucas felt warm in bed but he could not stop shivering. He had the worse nightmare ever, Keith had been shot by Jimmy Edwards. The dream felt so real that he actually woke up with tears in his eyes. He slowly opened his eyes, he did not recognize the room around him. He felt a small like cord sitting in above his lips but below his nose, it kept bringing cold air up his nostrils. He raised his left hand to feel a tight pinch where his elbow was. His chest felt extremely tight and he felt exhausted, he felt like he had just ran a triathlon.

"Hey." Haley's familiar voice brought him out of confusion.

Lucas turned his head slightly to the left to see his childhood best friend sitting in chair next to his bed. Her hair was tied in a messy ponytail, her mascara looked as if it had been running, her eyes were puffy red, and she looked exhausted too. She pasted on a smile and asked;

"How are you feeling?"

The question had been delicate. He did not understand why she asked it with such frailty. What happened? He gathered that he was in the hospital, but why? Was it with something with his heart?

Haley read her best friend's confused expression. As much as she did not want to tell him, she figured she was the best one to tell him. The best choice would have been his mother, but she was drowning in the grief that would soon take her son, so Haley took it upon herself to tell him.

"Lucas, there was a shooting at school and…" Haley struggled to say the next sentence since she barely believed it herself. "Jimmy Edwards shot your Uncle Keith."

Lucas's eyes widened, "Is he okay?" he surprised himself by how raspy his voice sounded. He slowly began remembering the events of that day, but it wasn't fast enough for his anxities.

Haley seeing his fearful eyes, looked down. She had rehearsed over and over again how she would tell her best friend that the man he loved most was dead, but now the words disappeared. A tear streamed down her cheek as she looked up at him.

"Lucas…he's dead."

The dream he just had, was not a nightmare…it actually happened. His memory replayed the horrible ordeal. He recollected seeing the whole situation go down and hearing the gun shot that claimed his uncle, rather father's, life. Lucas's heart began to race all over again. He could hear a nearby machine start panicking.

"Lucas, you need calm down. After carrying Keith out of the building and handing him over to the police, you suffered a mild heart attack."

The grief was all too overwhelming, Lucas could barely breathe. He went his entire life without a man to rightfully call father. The day he finally could, the man was taken away from him. Every fiber of his being burned with complete anger.

"And, one of the nurses found this in your one of the pockets of your jeans." Haley spoke with even more delicacy. She took a yellow sheet of paper and handed it over to Lucas with a few more tears running down her cheeks.

Lucas reached and slowly took the paper in his hands. He unfolded it and read the form before him. It was the adoption form. As he saw Keith's signature next to the line where the father would sign, he touched it. He couldn't believe the man who signed it was now dead. He looked down where the judge had signed and even cracked a tiny smile at what she had wrote with a big smiley face next to it, _About time_.

Lucas held the paper so tight in his grasp. The pain was so overwhelming he didn't think he would ever be the same. How was a boy supposed to live without his father? The father he only had for a day...


	10. Hide and Seek From Heartache

Five days after the shooting and his heart attack, Lucas was busy trying to keep his mother's café alive. Karen had emotionally died along with Keith leaving her to have no interest in keeping up her business. She cried herself to sleep every night and she stayed in bed as the days passed. She knew her son was hurting just as much but she could not bring herself to look passed her own pain.

Lucas rose out of bed before the sun would and headed over to the café. He was determined to bury his grief away in his work. None of his fellow coworkers or customers knew of his heart attack, just that he was a boy who was hurting. He would stay there open to close without giving himself much of a break. Even on the day of Keith's funeral, the boy furiously worked.

None of Lucas's friends knew where he was. They all knew he would be hurting really badly and wanted to be there for him but they searched for him with no luck. He kept his phone off making it harder to find him.

Lucas found it quite easy to forget the grief as he plugged away at the café. Hours would roll by without him noticing being he was so busy helping out the customers. The thing that would remind him of what had happened the week before was every once in awhile; customers would ask how his mother was doing. He would tell him she was okay, meaning she would be…hopefully. Selfishly, he wished someone would ask him how he was doing. Outside he could paste the happy smile on his face but inside he was losing it. He was screaming for someone, anyone to let him cry but he could not do that. He was supposed to be there for people never the other way around. He needed to be strong, his mother needed him, and everyone needed him to be there for them.

Lucas felt overwhelmed. How in the world was he supposed to be strong for everybody else when he himself felt like shutting down? Memories of Keith plagued him everywhere he went. He even thought he saw him a few times which tortured him greatly. His heart ached immensely when it would happen. He would be standing there wiping down a table when the bell would ring signaling someone walking in the shop. He'd look up and seeing a dark haired man standing there with a dark tan corduroy jacket on. Lucas would take a double take but every time it would lead to a serious letdown.

Lucas had informed everyone that the store would be closed at noon for Keith's funeral. Just as the clock turned 12 and the last customer paid, Lucas heard the door ring again. He had a tub of dishes resting on his hip. He carried it to the back.

"Sorry we're closed." he called behind him.

He placed the tub on the ledge of the sink and balanced it with his body for a moment as he grabbed his chest. His heart was pounding like it had been over the last few days. He took some quick shallow breathes to even his heart rythnm.

"Lucas Scott!" Haley replied with anger.

Her voice made Lucas jump as he was putting the tub dishes in the sink. He let go of the large container and it came down and crashed at his feet. All the plates broke shattered around him. The pieces were much like his heart, much like his life…everything was breaking around him. Lucas stood over the broken pieces and stared at them.

Haley came over to the kitchen. She was wearing a black blouse and a knee length black skirt. Her bright blonde hair was wrapped tightly in a bun. She looked over at her best friend. His grey shirt was covered in food stains, his shoes were untied, his blonde hair was greasy, his eyes screamed exhaustion and pain, and his brow was filled with sweet. Lucas had bent over to pick up the pieces. Haley bent down with him and helped him.

"What are you doing here, Lucas? Shouldn't you be getting ready for the funeral?" Haley said.

"I need to help my mom keep this business alive. Keith would have wanted it." Lucas spoke as he rose and threw some of the glass away.

After throwing some glass away, Haley grabbed Lucas wrists before he bend down again and spoke with complete love, "He would have wanted you to get help too, Luke. You just lost your uncle and you had a heart attack. You are allowed to take time for yourself, you know that don't you?"

"I will, Hales." Lucas responded not so convincingly. He pushed past her as he took of his apron, "I gotta get home and change."

"Let us drive you there." Haley pleaded trying to find one way to help her best friend.

"I'm fine, Hales, I can just walk home." Lucas replied looking down as he went to walk out of the café.

When he looked up to open the door, Lucas was surprised to see his younger brother standing there.

"Watch out," Lucas tried to push him aside to get to the door. Nathan stood firmly planted with his arms crossed. "Get out of the way, Nate!"

"We have tried to call you Lucas for the last few days. We know how much you are hurting." Nathan began

Lucas shook his head and breathed a short humorless laugh, "You have no idea, Nathan. None of you do."

He tried to get passed Nathan again, but Nathan this time held his arms. "Let us inside, big brother. We want to help you but we can't when you are constantly shutting us out."

Lucas rolled his eyes and gave a heavy sigh, his tough facade crumbling as this minutes passed. Haley came up behind him and touched his shoulder. The touch jolted through his body and went to his broken heart. Lucas fought the urge to fall apart right then and there.

"It's okay Luke," she spoke quietly. "Let it out."

That was what he needed to hear, it was okay to cry. His knew his mother had a right to cry, she had just lost the only man she had ever loved but for some reason, he felt he needed permission to let his tears flow. Even at night time, he would not let himself cry. He just would let his eyes stare up at the ceiling and wondered why he was once again fatherless. It was painful enough to be abandoned at his conception but now, why did he have to lose another father. The first one was nothing to Lucas being Lucas was nothing to him. This one, Lucas was his whole world, his pride and joy.

The depth of his heartbreak in losing Keith was immeasurable. He prayed no one would ever have to feel the pain of losing someone that close. Even more so, Lucas faced the daunting nightmares when his body let him sleep of hearing the gun shot and seeing his father's lifeless body.

Lucas turned around to see Haley's compassionate eyes. They triggered some more emotion is his heart and finally with their mighty power, brought out his tears.

"I miss him so much, Hales." the broken boy choked.

Haley opened up her arms and he fell into them without any hesitation. Lucas let the worlds weight in tears out of him. He sobbed and sobbed. He tried to talk, tried to apologize for making Haley take care of him.

"I miss him…I'm sorry…I don't know if I can do this...I'm sorry, I was hiding…I am just so lost." his thoughts came out in a series of blubbering.

"There's no more hiding Lucas, we found you."

* * *

_I know that this is kinda corny and probably not realistic. I know he probably wouldn't be doing dishes or anything after a heart attack, its fiction, would you play along with me? Thank you so much for your beautiful reviews. I think you can expect a lot of reviews next week, I dont work more than once next week. : )_


	11. Wide Oceans of Grief

Hello friends! I failed to give some appreciation towards a couple of my helpers- I sat down and had dinner with a group of five of my guy friends to gain insight on how guys deal with loss. They were both extremely goofy, but very helpful. Since I forget to dedicate this last chapter to them, this one will be.

Chapter Eleven- Wide Oceans of Grief

For all of you boys who made me understand the depth of a guy's mind when he's hurting

Ryan

Kevin

Ben

Josh

David

This one is for you. : )

* * *

_The leaves crunched under his dress shoes as he walked up the hill. His heart was drowning in a hundred sorrows to fill the ocean that stretched a few miles away. Tears filled his eyes that were the color of the midnight sky. Typically, they held the glory of the stars of the universe amongst them but since the fateful day a week ago, those stars lost their magnitude due to a heavy blanket of fog. _

_Lucas Scott never experienced pain like this, the roaring throbbing pain coming from his heart with every passing minute. Physically, yes, he had experienced such pain coming from his heart but emotionally this had been a first time. His thoughts faced a vicious spinning circle. He just could not let himself move pass the fact that Keith died. Keith, his uncle that sacrificed so much so Lucas could have a man to rightfully call father, had been killed the week before. _

_Months before, Lucas and his entire literature class had an assignment to write about loss. He could not place at that moment what exactly he wrote as his greatest loss but he knew that it would not compare to the empty hole Keith left behind. After eighteen years of selflessly loving Lucas like his own son, Keith went out to sign papers to officially adopt Lucas during school. Lucas and he would go out for dinner and a basketball game in Charlotte to commemorate the event after school. That day had been January 26. The day of the shooting. _

Lucas stood by his mother's side as the preacher went over the Lord's Prayer. He barely heard the words out of the man's mouth. He found himself transfixed at the dark wooden coffin. Inside of it held rare, one of a kind man, a man that spent his thirty four years of life selflessly helping people at no cost to him.

Lucas stood with his hands crossed. Karen shuddered next to him. His fingers wanted to reach over to her and hold her but he felt frozen. Every time he would think about stretching over and holding her, he could not shake an evil thought;

_It is your fault she's upset._

Every time those horrible words played in his mind, a sob attempted to come up from his heart and into his throat. He forced it down like food stuck in a person's throat that had been choking; he fought to keep it down where it belonged. He was choking on the heartbreak of losing his uncle and even more so with the thought that it was his fault. No one had said it directly to him but when his mother made it out of her room to use the rest room, she avoided his gaze like he too could kill her.

As selfish as it was to admit, Lucas wished with all his heart she would look at him. He wanted her to look at him and see how broken he was. Maybe his mother could look past her own hurt and help fix her little boy like she used to whenever he was hurt. Lucas did not anticipate that to happen anytime soon being she was far past drowning in the ocean of grief.

Karen stood next to her only son fighting the tears away. She could barely keep her eyes open for every time she did, she saw the coffin and it would force her to realize the depth of how much it all hurt. The one man she truly loved and gave her heart to was snatched away from her. She felt fifty different emotions all at once; grief, depression, anger, resentment, guilt, and somewhere in there a building of a terrible hatred towards her son.

It took everything in her not to march in his room at night and scream every obscenity at him. If it had not been for him staying in the school instead of escaping like the rest of his classmates, Keith probably would have stayed with her. Karen attempted to push the terrible thoughts down but she battled every waking moment with not only the loss of the man she loved, but the struggle to love her son despite the possibility that it was his fault.

Karen had that reason alone to crucify her son but she had another reason to be upset with him. He had a minor heart attack after he carried Keith out of the school. Not only did he come close to death himself, she had found out he had been lying to her for quite sometime. He had assured her he had tested negative for the testing of the genetic heart condition his father had. The boy even went as far to give her a letter informing him of this.

It had been cruel slap in the face when the doctor informed her that her seventeen year old boy suffered a mild heart attack. Trying to not to suffocate under the weight of all the pain coming down on her, Karen asked the doctor how it was possible for him to have heart attack. He informed her of that it is a definite possibility for a heart attack to happen when a person has HCM. When Karen made a face, the doctor asked if she knew her son had it. She felt humiliated that she did not know her son had a life threatening condition.

Karen sat numbly as the doctor explained the protocol for getting Lucas back on the track of normalcy. Not only had she lost Keith but that night she found out her son had been lying to her about a fatal disease. Provided she had not have frozen in her seat, she would have probably marched in the room and killed him herself. She never felt so betrayed in her entire life.

The priest had said something that brought Karen back to reality. Lucas nodded stiffly and walked closer to the grave. Karen shut her eyes as pain panged her broken heart. It took everything for her not to let her stomach empty out its few contents all over the place. Anything she ate over the last few days came back up almost instantly. She felt the world spinning around her but yet it felt like it was frozen in place, in a place of darkness and shadows.

Lucas's hands quivered as they gripped the dirt mound. He took a deep shaky breath as he closed his eyes. Why did he have to bury his father? This was supposed to happen when Keith became an old man, when they shared decades of memories together as father and son. Keith needed to see Lucas graduate, publish his novels, get married to the girl of his dreams, being the grandfather of his children…not die the day he became his father. It was not fair. Lucas let the dirt slide out of his grasp. His eyes watered seeing the dirt slip through his fingers.

Once the funeral workers lowered Keith's coffin to the ground, people lined up to hug Karen and shake Lucas's hands. Lucas's close friends hug him tightly and it took everything in him not let his tears roll. As people rambled their memories with Keith and condolences, Lucas looked past them. His eyes were fixed on the gravestone. It stated his full name, birthday, and the day he died but the words underneath were the ones that he read over and over;

_A Great Father _

Lucas needed to get out of that area fast. The pain in his heart was all too overwhelming too handle. His mother started heading down the hill to Coach Whitey Durham's truck with her arm held inside his. Lucas followed behind them. As Whitey had held the door open for Karen to get in, Lucas came up to the man.

"I'm going to go for a run," he shakingly spoke.

Whitey shut the door once Karen got in the passenger's seat. Her eyes looked at something distant. Whitey nodded, "If you need anything Lucas, my door is always opened."

"Thanks coach," Lucas responded.

Whitey hit the boy in the back as a gesture of love and compassion. He knew the boy had been dealing with a great deal of grief and wanted to make him sure, he was not facing it all alone.

Lucas looked over at his shivering mother and took of his suit coat. He placed it on her, their first physical contact since before the shooting. She sat still as he covered her shoulders. After getting it situated, he leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. She took a deep trembling breath as she shut her eyes. She fought any kind of urge to snap.

Afterwards, Lucas took his much needed run. He had no idea where exactly he would end up so he trusted his legs to carry him wherever. His heart pounded furiously as the run slowly ended. Lucas stopped not knowing exactly where he was at. He looked up at the building before him and found Keith's apartment complex in front of him.

Lucas entered the complex and headed over to the place where Keith lived and so did so many memories of the two of them. He found the door unlocked and pushed it open. Immediately, the strong masculine smell of his deceased father filled his nostrils. The smell brought tears to his eyes especially when his eyes fell upon a frame holding a picture of Keith and him.

The picture displayed Keith in a swimming pool with the water up the mid section of stomach area with Lucas, probably age six, sitting upon his shoulders. Lucas had his arms held high in the air with a water basketball in his grip. The both of them shared wide grins on their faces.

Wiping a tear that snuck out of his eye, Lucas saw an envelope next to the frame addressed to him in Keith's writing. He took the envelope in his hands and plopped down on a couch. He stared at his father quick penmanship and contemplated opening it.

Lucas took a deep shaky breath and slowly tore the envelope open. He found with in its contents a three page letter. The three paged letter lead him to laugh a few times but also to cry. He held in his hands the last words his father would ever say to him.

* * *

_Next someone will come in the apartment and shove more pain in Lucas's face. Stay tune. : )_


	12. The Devil's Words

A storm started to brew as Lucas finished reading the letter for the fourth time. Just as he went to fold it and place it back in the envelope, a loud rumble of thunder vibrated the apartment. Lucas stood up and looked out the window. The trees were being violently pushed by strong winds. The sky turned an angry dark. Thunder rumbled off in the distance. Lightening lit up the dark sky.

Lucas thought about running home but by judging the distance between the thunder and the lightening, he figured he would stay the night. He brought out his phone to call to tell his mom where he was, but he figured she would be asleep. He went into Keith's room, the scent overwhelming once again, and looked for a hoody and sweat pants. He opened up a pair of doors of his uncle's closet where his dresser sat. As Lucas put on the clothes, something hanging caught his eye. He pushed back some of hangers out of the way and saw something that truly broke his heart.

Keith's tuxedo.

Lucas could barely breathe seeing it. He touched the fabric of the suit as his fingers shook violently. Every year before school would start, Haley and him would write down predictions they had hoped would come true in the new coming year. One of Lucas's this year was in fact that Keith and his mother would get married. It broke Lucas's heart over and over again realizing the two of them would never be married. His mother would never get to marry the one man she loved the most in this world. Hate filled inside of Lucas. His mother was so selfless but yet life threw her some of the meanest curveballs. Why couldn't she have just the one thing in life she asked for?

Lucas even let his thoughts turn to himself. All he wanted in his life was a man to call his father, he never asked for anymore. Of course, when he got what he wanted, he was taken away from him in the most horrible way possible. He took a deep breath as tears filled his eyes. He shut the closet doors and plopped down on the bed. He took slow steady breaths as he attempted to calm down.

He found the bed very comfortable. He had done a lot of running around in the past five days so he could run away from his demons. For some reason keeping busy gives you a head start in running against the demons called thoughts, but the instant you lay your head on your pillow at night, they finally catch up with you. They invade yours life, like a thief in the night and make your life absolutely miserable. If he had it his way, Lucas would work all through the night at the café so he would not face the thoughts.

As Lucas sat on the bed, he saw a few photo albums resting on the top of Keith's bookshelf. He grabbed one and plopped down on the bed again. Slowly and steadily went through the pages in front of him. Three people had pictures of them consistently through out the book; Keith, Karen, and Lucas. Haley was the next one in line. Haley was like Lucas's little sister he never had. She was apart of the family just as much as Keith was.

Lucas saw a picture of his parents and him standing towards the sunset leaving their bodies to be made out like a silhouette. They had their backs facing the camera as they were down the beach. Lucas sat on top of Keith's shoulders with his arms raised high. Karen and Keith had their arms stretched out as they held hands.

Just as Lucas realized a few tears snuck out of his eyes, he heard the front door of the apartment open. He wiped his nose with the back of his hand as he rose out of the bed. He looked at the clock and it blinked 10:30 at him. Who would be at his uncle's house this late at night? He opened the door of the bedroom that would bring him to a hallway and then lead to the living room. Thunder roared as Lucas wrapped around the corner. For some reason, he prayed Keith would be there.

And for a moment, that was Lucas saw. He was stooped over the counter dropping off his keys with his jacket soaking wet. He picked up the mail and thumbed through it quickly. Lucas let a smile come across his face as he took a step causing the floor to creak. Lightening lit up the room as Keith turned around and looked at Lucas.

The lightening flashed across Dan's face, not Keith's. Lucas shook his head hoping him seeing Dan's face was hallucination not the other way around but not matter how hard he shook his head, he kept seeing the same face.

"What are you doing here, Lucas?" Dan inquired as he took of his coat.

"I should be asking you the same thing." Lucas stated suddenly stiffening at the sight of his biological father.

"Keith was my brother. As for you, you were just the stray dog he took in." Dan spent no time bantering his oldest son.

Lucas snorted. Here he was, facing the most painful thing he had ever been through, and the only thing he father can say to him were those painful words. After seventeen years of relentless verbal, and the occasional physical, abuse you would think Lucas would grown use to the fact that he would never be more to Lucas then his illegitimate son. Nothing more then stain in the carpet that no matter how much effort used, it would not be erased.

At one point, Dan tried to get the pregnant Karen to have an abortion. He told her would pay for it entirely. Karen refused to let the little growing fetus with in be exterminated so Dan could pursue his basketball dreams. Dan even went as far as to get her drunk and to take her to the get the inconvenience out of his way. Just as he went to take her intoxicated self out the door, Keith stopped by with some flowers.

Keith recognized Karen as completely drunk and upon seeing Dan's urgency to get her out of the house, he put the pieces together knew what his brother was up to. Karen had confided in him about Dan wanting the abortion. Keith placed the flower bouquet on a table and came over to the two of them.

"Hiiii Keith, you are looking sexy today!" Karen slurred as she wobbled in Dan's arms.

"Dan, I know what you trying to do and there is no way I will let you do it." Keith declared.

Dan's head tilted, "Whatever do you mean?" he asked innocently.

"The plan to get Karen drunk so she will consent to the idea of having her baby aborted just so you can go play basketball without having a kid to raise. If you are not willing to raise it, then just leave. Pursue your silly dream of basketball and let someone else who cares take over." Keith responded.

"Who? A loser like you?"

Keith smiled, "Yeah, a loser like me."

"Fine, Keith. Take her and the bastard she will have**."** Dan hissed as he shoved Karen towards his older brother.

Karen stumbled in Keith's arms. Dan left the house and slammed the door behind him. Karen fell to the ground and start throwing up all over. Keith came down to her level and rubbed her back as she emptied the contents of her stomach all over the floor. After cleaning her and the area up around her, he carried her to the couch and laid her down.

Just as she was sobering, Karen looked at Keith. "Where's Dan?"

"He left," Keith softly answered as he pressed a cool rag to the beautiful woman's forehead. "Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere. Not just for now but forever. I am going to be there for you and this precious being inside of you." he spoke as he touched her slightly bloated stomach. "I will be here to help you raise it every step of the way as if it was my own child."

Karen and Keith never shared this snip bit of their lives with anyone. They vowed they even would not tell the baby growing inside of her the horrible thing his father tried to do.

Since Dan did not get his way with getting rid of Lucas, he figured he would not play any part in the boy's life. However, as life's humor would have it, Karen raised the boy in the same small town; he raised his other son in. Ever since Lucas found out whom his father was, the only attention he would gain from him was harassment and bantering.

And tonight, amidst Lucas's pain, Dan found no exception to break his normal relationship with his oldest son.

"Whatever," Lucas replied trying to let the comment sink in his already fragile heart.

"So are you going to tell me what you are doing here?" Dan questioned as if he had a right to know. Thunder growled over the apartment. "Because frankly, I don't think I would have the guts being here or in this town knowing it was my fault my uncle was killed."

There it was. The horrifying thought that spun around in Lucas's head, the thought was no longer stuck in his head, it was said out loud. Lucas tried to ignore the statement; Dan Scott thrived on getting into people's heads and messing with them. Lucas would and could not let him win, but he had been so tired and emotional his heart had no defense.

"What?" Dan inquired snidely noticing Lucas paling face. "You know he went in that school to find you. If you had come out right when everything happened, he probably would have been still alive. You would have your father here if you didn't play the stupid hero thing."

Lucas took in a deep shaky breath and blinked back the tears that were forming. There was no way he would let Dan see tears because that automatically awarded him a victory.

"It is all your fault your mother stays up all night crying. She cannot even look at you because you killed the man she loved. You should have pulled the gun and shot him yourself, that is pretty much what you did."

Lucas already had lost. Tears spilled down his cheeks as the man before him stoned him with guilt.

"What you should have done, was take the gun from that monster Jimmy Edwards and shoved it in your mouth and pulled the trigger. To your mother your life is pretty much pointless. The only reason she ever wanted you was because of Keith. Keith made her keep you."

Lucas shook his head; he did not want to hear this part of the story. He had a terrible feeling it would hurt too much. He tried to run but his legs stayed absolutely still.

"Your mother and I wanted an abortion. But your idiot for an uncle forced her to keep you. Sure, after you were born she held no regrets for having you. She even fell in love with the man who watched over you. But now, he's dead because of the boy that ruined her life seventeen years ago, did it once more."

Lucas shuddered violently as the truth dressed in a coat of lies came out of his father's mouth. He fought believing it with all of his heart but he could not do it. The pain shattered him. As he stood there crying and slightly doubled over, Dan feeling victorious, picked up his coat and walked out the door.

Lucas stumbled over to the bedroom and collapsed on the bed. He sobbed as the words replayed his mind over and over again. He never felt so lonely in his life. He never felt so desperate in his life either. He felt like going outside in the middle of the storm and praying he would get struck by lightening. When he tried to get out of the bed, he was much too paralyzed to move. He lied there in a heap, crying himself to sleep.

* * *

_So to be completely honest and not bragging, but that was all too painful to write. MY own heart broke for Lucas. I hated Dan for saying those things and I began to hate myself for having those horrible things in my head for a character to say. Ughh...shivers...scary what a writer can convey._

_Next...after a having a nightmare, Lucas wakes up to be shoved into another altercation but with someone he loves. Da Da Dum... : )_


	13. The Cold Truth

Sweat rested heavily on his neck. He stretched out his arms and brought his hands up to his face to crack his fingers one by one. For some reason he felt nervous and uncomfortable. He looked upwards to see hundreds of people sitting there staring back at him. Their gazes were full of anger and resentment. He tried with all his might to figure way they looked at him that way. If looks could kill, he would have dropped dead right then and there.

Especially the way his mother looked at him, or rather the way she did not look at him. She stared down at her hands that sat in front of her with tears streaming down her cheeks. Dan sat next to her with his arm around her but giving him an evil stare.

"Lucas Scott!" A man in a suit slammed his hand in front of him. "Did you intentionally kill your Uncle Keith?"

Lucas's head snapped up at the man who could actually say such an accusation. "I did not kill him, it was Jimmy Edwards." Lucas stopped seeing the boy sitting on the other side of his mother. His heart began to hammer inside of his chest seeing the monster right there next to his mother.

"You are saying Jimmy Edwards killed your uncle?" the man, Lucas assumed had been a lawyer, repeated the statement.

"Yes!" Lucas bellowed. "I saw him do it!"

"If he killed your Uncle Keith, why is his blood on your hands?"

Lucas looked down at his hands. He found them covered in a deep crimison colored blood. His eyes widened at the sight. How did the blood of the man he loved, get on his hands?

-0-0-0-

Lucas tossed and turned in the bed, his legs kicking the covers off. At one point he tossed so hard, he fell of the bed and slammed his head against a nightstand. His nose took the direct brunt of the fall causing blood to ooze from it. His hands immediately went out in front of him to grab his nose.

Lucas first sight when he opened his eyes was the blood on his hands. His eyes widened as he shoved himself off the ground and went to the bathroom. He tried to get the blood off his shaking hands. Once he had them cleaned, he turned off the sink to see more blood drip on the porcelain sink. He looked up at the mirror to see blood gushing out one of his nostrils.

He took a tissue and shoved in up his nose while pinching the bridge of his nose. After the five minutes, that last drops of blood came down and Lucas cleaned up the mess he had made. Just as he threw the last piece of toilet paper in the garbage can, he heard the front door open.

Lucas walked out of the bathroom and entered the living room to see who had walked in. He had found someone he did not recognize, a woman he did not know anymore. The woman physically was thirty two, but emotionally she was dead. Her once dark hair had always been constantly straightened, but now after days of being unwashed it became a curly mess.

"Mom," Lucas managed to say. He had no words for her but at the same time he had so many things he did want to say to her. I love you. I'm Sorry. I'm here for you if you need anything. The way she looked at him, when she was able to muster the courage too, stopped him every time, it melted his heart completely. Her once vibrant bright green eyes had an overcast of almost grey.

Lucas imagined her saying everything he knew her heart felt towards him. He almost wished she would just say so she could get it off her chest and weirdly enough, he would love hearing it because that would be the first time they would have talked since before that terrible day a week ago.

Karen turned around at the sound of her only son's voice. His blonde hair was greatly disheveled, his eyes had lines under them, she thought she saw dried up blood coming from his nose, and he was wearing Keith's clothes. She took a deep painful breath in order for her not tell the boy to take of his dead uncle's clothes.

"What are you doing here?" she inquired turning around and heading to a box on the table.

Lucas carefully spoke his words knowing one slip up could be his last, "I went for a run and ended up here. Sorry, I would have called…but it was late."

Karen shrugged, "Since when does it matter to you to let me know anything."

The statement covered in resentment surprised Lucas. He did not know what she meant by it. "What do you mean?"

Karen slammed a glass plate down on the table causing Lucas to jump, "You know exactly what it means Lucas!" She looked at him with her eyes narrowing and her nose knitting with fury. "Do you have any idea how it felt to be told by a doctor that my son had a genetic heart condition that he told me he tested negatively for?" her voice began to rise with every sentence. "Not only was I facing the murder of the only man I have ever loved but my idiot son had a heart attack on the same day and I had to have a stranger tell me why!" Karen walked over to Lucas as she ranted and imitated the doctor, "Your son had a heart attack because he has a heart condition called HCM, maybe if you were a good mother you would have known that Ms. Roe."

"He actually said that?" Lucas looked at her shocked.

"No he didn't, but the way he looked at me said it! How dare you hide that from me Lucas Eugene Scott!" and before either them knew it, she took her hand and slapped him right across the face. Feeling the power of getting her anger out, Karen continued on her tirade. "If you would have came out of that building last week, Keith would still be here. The man I was supposed to marry in a month would still be here but no, he is dead. The man who never did anything wrong died but the boy who told a lie to his mother lived. I think the boy with the lies should have died instead!"

Lucas felt another crack, probably the deepest, in his heart slice through. His mom, his own mother just admitted she wished he would died instead of Keith. As he held his stinging cheek, he blinked furiously as tears built in his eyes. It was one thing when Dan said horrible things, but another when his mother had alleged the cold truth.

"I'm sorry mom," Lucas began to choke as he fell to his knees before her, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you about my HCM. I'm sorry Keith is dead because of me, I know for a fact if I would have come out, he still would be here. He would be here to marry you and for me to be his best man in the wedding. He would be here for me to have my dad I have always wanted him to be."

"Well sorry isn't going to bring him back is it?" Karen hissed.

Lucas heart broke for the hundredth time but this felt like the worst time. That statement hurt more then the slap Karen had given Lucas moments before. As tears traced down his cheeks, his mouth opened to say something, anything but he was completely frozen. He would never forget the way her eyes turned heartless as she delivered those painful words.

"Looks like you are going to be the bastard you were born to be." Karen delivered one more punch in his gut.

Lucas doubled over as he held his fragile heart; he could barely take it anymore. All he needed was one more knife stabbing comment and he would be done. He could barely take it being in the apartment, for everything around him was a painful reminder of what had happened.

Lucas stood up and walked towards the front door. He had to get out of there, all the oxygen in the room was full of hate and bitterness. Lucas ran down the stairs of the apartment as fast as he possibly could. He ran down the streets of Tree Hill with hot tears still pouring down his cheeks.

He was not surprised to find himself at the Rivercourt ten minutes later. He stood on the asphalt with his hands on his hips trying to catch his breath as he hiccupped over and over. As Lucas breathed short, shallow breaths he found a basketball abandoned under the net. He went over to it and scooped it up. He attempted to score but missed by a long shot.

Once Lucas had the ball in his grasp again, he stared at it. He looked up and stared at the court. His thoughts were a whirl wind tornado, viciously spinning around his head. What if he never left the Rivercourt? What if he just played basketball as a hobby with his friends? Jimmy Edwards would still be his good friend and probably would have never gone into the school with a gun. Keith would be still alive and would marry the love his life a month from then. Lucas wanted a do over so badly; he would change the fact of joining the Ravens Basketball team. He would be a nobody again if that meant that all this pain would disappear.

Lucas began to fill with anger. He took the ball in his hands and chucked it hard at the backboard of the hoop. The ball bounced back at him and he slammed it against the wall again and again. The ball smashing into it somehow relieved his anger quite efficiently. He could feel his heart beginning to ache immensely.

"I sure hope you are purposely missing those or we are in serious trouble." a voice called from behind Lucas. Lucas spun around to see Nathan with a smile, stepping on the asphalt. "How are you, man?"

Lucas used the back his hand to wipe the sweat off his forehead. His hands were shaking uncontrollably. His heart hammered inside of his chest and the pain intensified with every passing moment. He dropped the ball out of his hands. As it rolled over to Nathan's feet, Nathan followed it with his eyes. When it touched his feet, he looked up his older brother.

Lucas's, once bright blue eyes had descended to two deep grey pools of desperation. They were swollen and red. His whole face had been covered with an obvious physical pain that any passerby could make out, but what the untrained eye could not see was the lines of emotional pain Lucas held. Nathan read his face as one full of remorse, hurt, and guilt. The seventeen year old boy held more heartbreak then people three times his age would ever have to in their entire lifetime.

Lucas clutched his chest as his brother studied him intensely. He could hear the blood pumping inside of his ears. Breathing, something that came naturally, became a difficult task. His felt a wave of dizziness overtake him as he slowly became disoriented. He heard his brother calling his name but everything began to fade away, his vision, his hearing, and even more so his pain. As he legs gave out, Lucas fell to the ground thinking;

_I'm coming home to you Keith_

_

* * *

_

_ Well should it end right there? Or should I have more up my sleeve somewhere? What do you guys want and think? Sorry I took a while to update, the life of a college student is never boring. I might not update till next week since classes will be over a few weeks and then Summer classes begin. Well it is going on 3am...I better get some sleep! Thanks for everything... _


	14. Lectures, Love, & Masterpieces

Lucas stood at the Rivercourt with his eyes closed and a basketball tight in his grasp. He took in a deep breath filled with the sweet air of spring. The breath filled inside of his lungs and brought life to his broken body. He sat absorbing all the wonderful smells around him when a voice spoke from behind him.

"So, are you get stand there and smell the flowers or are we going to play some ball?"

With his eyes still closed, a smile hugged the corner of his lips. He turned around and looked at the face he missed most.

"Keith," Lucas's voice cracked. He instantly dropped the ball in his grasp and ran over to him. He leaned over and embraced him.

"Lucas, son, it's okay. Don't cry." The man comforted his son.

Lucas failed to realize the tears streaming down his cheeks. He held onto Keith with his eyes closed hoping he would never have to let go. He finally let go of the embrace and looked at his father with tears blurring his vision. The boy stood absolutely speechless.

"So I see this failed you." Keith stated stretching out his hand and placing it on Lucas's chest where his heart beated.

Lucas sniffled, "Yeah, I have HCM."

Keith let a smile come across his face which greatly confused Lucas. "I know."

Lucas looked at him funny. How did his newly adopted father know he had a heart condition?

"I've known for a couple months now actually. One day Haley came into the shop looking really stressed out. I made her sit down and tell me what was bothering her. She told me about your heart condition."

Lucas cursed his best friend mentally. He knew she wouldn't be able to keep it quiet. Keith interrupted his thoughts and began lecturing, "Don't you go getting mad at her. Shame on you for making her face that alone. Her best friend has life threatening condition, who risks his life everyday playing a game. A game! Lucas Scott, how could you be so stupid to risk your life like that?"

Lucas's eyes fell downcast on the ground below him. He took his shoes and dug them into the cement. All through out his life, Keith's lectures lead him to feel very selfish and bad for what he whatever stupid stuff he would do. Sometimes, Lucas would purposely do something just to hear Keith's angry but concerned voice reprimand him to make him feel like he had dad all along. That he truly did not need Dan Scott, who though genetically was his father never proved it otherwise. Dan, though he never really took a sincere interest in Lucas, still maintained a tight control over him. It was almost like he had an invisible chain collar around his neck. He did not realize it was there until he took a step he should not have, the grip tightened, and caused problems. Life with Dan Scott, illegitimate son or not, was like that.

"But most of all son, shame on you for facing this all alone." Keith's calm compassionate voice brought him back.

Lucas looked up at him with his teeth biting on his bottom lip. Keith rested his large calloused left hand on Lucas's right cheek.

"You should not have had to deal with this all alone. You should have told your mother and me, we would have helped you."

Lucas went to defend himself, but he ended up stuttering "If…I…I would h-have t-told…"

"We wouldn't let you play basketball?" Keith finished for him. "We could have discussed the options instead of having you sneaking around trying to figure it all out on your own. Now, here you are seventeen years old and you just had a massive heart attack. I don't think you'll be playing basketball anytime soon, son."

Lucas snorted. The game seemed so pointless after the shooting. It was just that, a game. Life had shoved its way past the frivolous thing and made a bigger part on stage. He would trade the game in a heartbeat if it brought Keith back, if his mother would talk to him again, and if it meant he would have never been born where all this heartache would have never happen.

"Hey, I know there's a lot going on right now but I know you'll be okay. Your heart will heal. Your mother will talk to you again, just give her time. Tell her I love her very much and pick Lily."

Lucas cocked his head to left like a puppy as his eye brows rose. Keith finished, "Just tell her I said that, she'll understand. Once you tell her, it will give you two something to talk about."

_Lucas_ looked forward to talking with his mother. He missed her more then any teenage boy would care to admit. The thought actually brought tears to his eyes. He was carrying way too much pain to do it all alone. He really needed his mom.

"Take care of her, okay? She needs you know more then ever and you need her as well. All this pain I left with you guys will go away, I promise. It will take awhile but I assure you, it will. Grief is like paint an artist uses. At first, it's fresh and spreads everywhere if you touch it too soon but with time it dries. Soon it comes together with the rest of the picture and makes a beautiful masterpiece. A little slab of paint of the canvas does not look like it matters, but mixed with several makes an astounding creation. This part of your life is painful but someday, you'll figure out why it happened. Somehow you'll look at this tragedy and smile because you figure out how it worked out in the masterpiece of your life."

_

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_

_ Hey hey...sorry I pretty much fell off the face of the planet. Between two six week classes, preparing for a missions trip, working long hours, getting ready for VBS, and being really sick...I pretty much did fall off the face of the planet to not only you guys but my friends. Plus I had pretty bad writers block not knowing where to take this. But anywhoo...I hope you guys liked that. Be honest, tell me what you thought of the paint illustration. I made it up completely. Well not it all, I do believe everything in our life does work out, good or bad, and sometimes we find out how it worked out in the greater scheme of things and sometimes we dont. I believe with all my heart that God uses everything for His glory and our good_.

_Hope everyone is doing well. : )_


	15. Something to Talk About

Intensely, rain splattered to the ground. It fell against the car windows as they drove through Tree Hill. The water blended together looked like a smeared painting. Lucas sat with his head rested against the window watching the world pass him by. It had been three weeks since the shooting. Several of those days he spent in the hospital recovering from his heart attacks.

Ever since his encounter, dream, or whatever with Keith, Lucas felt so much better emotionally. He felt like he could make it through the darkness and find the sunshine. Sure the days would be hard, but if he circled himself with his friends the burden would be much easier. He smiled lightly thankful for his friends. Maybe he could have them over sometime soon to watch a movie or something, something that would bring them back to old times.

The doctors gave Lucas strict instructions he was to do nothing but rest. The only place he could visit was his bed and the furthest place was the couch in the living room, and any other place then that was out of the question. Any other time it would be easy to have his friends over but right now, his mother was lost in a fog of grief and he no desire to bombard her with anything unnecessary. She sat by his side at the hospital everyday but never said a word. She sat by the window and stared off to the sky.

Lucas, even though Keith gave them something to talk about, could not muster the courage to talk to his mother. Every time he went to open his mouth, his throat closed up and his mouth went dry. He wanted to tell her about Lily, whatever it was but he did not know how to start it off.

Meanwhile in the driver's seat, Karen sat there speechless. She had put her son through a lot within the last fourteen days and had no idea how to fix it. She had said a lot of nasty things and wished every moment she could take them back. She cried at night and asked Keith to come back so she could fix the pain her son and her felt. All through the car ride, she longed to say something, anything but she could not think of any appropriate words.

For the last two weeks she had experienced more pain then in her entire life. Karen used to think Dan ditching her and their unborn son was the most heartbreaking thing that could ever happen. Oh, to be in high school again where the trifle heartbreaks hold nothing in comparison to the biggest one in her life. She had lost the man she loved most and almost lost the other one who was sitting next to her.

Karen could try to pretend she did not notice how much she saw her only son hurting. She could easily hide under the mess of her own grief and not bother to reach out to him. Lucas was a strong kid, she raised him that way but she could tell he was crumbling. Over the past weeks when she did look over at him, she saw him look away. His eyes would bury down to the ground, ashamed.

Why would he feel ashamed? It wasn't his fault his uncle and almost father was killed but yet, that is what Karen told him. That it was his fault. She was full of horrible emotions that morning. She had just buried her fiancé the day before, something she was hoping he would have to do, not the other day around. She had refused to talk to anyone, but when she saw Lucas that day all her anger boiling inside of her like a volcano erupted. She had spat out some outrageous accusations.

Karen could not help hating herself at that moment. How could she not? The look on his face, his already heartbroken face, seared right through her cold heart. Mothers hate when someone hurts their children, but in those moments she was the one delivering the hurt. How could she possibly say those things to anyone, let alone to Lucas?

They pulled up to their little house. Karen turned off the engine of her little sedan. The two sat in complete silence staring out the windshield watching the rain beat against it.

Finally, Lucas cleared his throat. "Mom, I had a dream about Keith and he told me to tell you something." he spoke slowly careful not to hurt his mom more then he already had.

Karen looked over at him with gentleness. He did not dare to make eye contact with her, which broke her heart, but he continued;

"He told me to tell you to pick Lily."

It only took her five seconds to figure out what Lucas was talking about. When she did put the puzzle pieces together, tears filled her big olive green eyes. Lucas, not knowing of her reaction, continued. "Of course, he didn't explain to me what that meant, but he told me to tell you."

As the silence grew and tears sprang down Karen's face, Lucas turned to make eye contact with his mother. He was surprised to see her face full of tears that were slowly tracing down her face.

"Mom, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have told you." He spoke regretting his choice to tell her. Keith said it would give them something to talk about. Maybe if his timing was a little better, they would have had much to talk about. Lucas turned his head and tried to open his door to excuse himself from another possible altercation. After all, he had a bit too many in the past month.

"Lucas." she spoke softly. It truly was the first time he heard her say his name since before that horrible day. He stopped fidgeting with the door. Everything in him halted to hear what she would say next. He even managed to look her in the eye.

"Your father and I were going to tell you after the basketball game that night but, you know." Karen slowly explained. She could not believe this great moment of joy could be robbed by such darkness. "I'm pregnant and her name is going to be Lily."

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_I probably could have streatched that on for some more interaction but that will be in the next chapter. Once again, sorry about the once in a blue moon updates. I wish I could spend more time on this but there are other things in life that have been fighting for my attention and time. : )_

_ Review, I wanna know what you are all thinking. It's kind of nerveracking seeing that many people are reading but having no idea what their thoughts are. Whether they are good or bad...I wanna know. Bring on the reviews! : )_

_ Much Love, : )_


	16. The Masterpiece of Life

Lucas sat on the couch with a warm blanket covering him. It felt great, a complete understatement, to be home again; to lie down and not have any annoying medical noises or persistent nurses interrupting him. He highly considered trying to get some sleep being that the weight on his eyes was difficult to resist, but he just could not keep his thoughts from spinning.

His mom was pregnant. He stood as the only child and pride and joy to Karen Roe for seventeen years but now, someone else was going enter their world and into the family. The feelings were bittersweet. Happy and full of joy because of course, he was getting a baby sister however, it was a hard thing to swallow being her father was killed a month after her conception. Lucas actually felt tears fill his eyes thinking that the precious little girl would never have the opportunity to meet their wonderful, one of kind father.

Lucas, at that precise moment, took it upon himself to be there every step of her life, to guide, protect, support, love, and befriend her like their father would have. Though he never had his biological father as any positive support in his life, he learned from the best and the best was from Keith Scott.

With his eyes closed, Lucas smiled. Keith had promised he would be with them. Maybe he meant half of his DNA coming into the world would be a constant presence with his mother and him reminding them of the great man they both were blessed to have in their lives for so long. Like a little boy, Lucas found himself looking forward to the day his baby sister would arrive.

October 20. The day Keith would have celebrated his 35th birthday. Lucas grinned at the irony of the situation. Keith would be with them always even if it was in the form of a little girl. A little girl that brought so much needed joy at a dark time to her mother and big brother. She had come into their lives just when they needed it most much like her father did seventeen years ago.

The much needed joy broke down the wall of anger, hostility, and bitterness Karen felt towards her son. After telling Lucas she was pregnant, she began to sob out apologies for her offensive behavior. She took her small hand and placed it on his cheek wanting to hold him forever.

Karen's touch literally jolted through Lucas's body. Everything in Lucas Scott literally halted as the warmth from her body radiated to his broken cold body. He missed his mother terribly. He was grateful his mother was sorry for the horrible allegations she stabbed him with, but even more so relieved she was talking to him.

They sat in the car weeping in each other's arms together for quite some time. Lucas seemed to let the flood of tears push past the levy that had been holding everything. Karen let go of her selfish fog and reached out to her son. It truly rated up there as one of the best moments they had shared thus far.

As Lucas lay on the couch, he had not heard the front door click open just a few feet away. Haley had been rattling off about something to Nathan, but stopped abruptly when she saw her best friend and brother in law sleeping on the couch. The large burgundy blanket Karen and her had made together sprawled all over his legs and up to his waist. His blonde head rested on the couch and his eyes were closed. His breathing was steady and smooth. Haley found the greatest sense of reprieve when she had seen something she had not seen him do in weeks.

Smiling. It did not matter to her that it was a light one and that it was in his sleep, Lucas Scott's charming smile was back on his face where it rightfully belonged. A deep sigh of relief filled inside of Haley. Her best friend would not be lost in grief forever. She was planning on fishing him out of it anyway, but to see him showing signs of coming out alone brought her great satisfaction.

Haley sat on the couch with him stroking his messy blonde hair, thankful for her best friend was still alive after all he had been through for the last month. Smelling something beautiful beside him, Lucas was pulled out of the nap he had been taking. His eyes slowly opened to see his best friend sitting right beside him but also his brother on the couch across him. His smile grew bigger seeing them.

"Hey," Lucas whispered attempting not to exert himself to much.

Haley's smiled brightened. "Hey there handsome, how are you feeling?"

Lucas smiled and attempted to sit up a little higher so he did not have to look up so high to see his best friend. His chest however was still tight and yet felt like an elephant was standing on it, so he carefully adjusted himself.

"Still in pain but overall, doing well. It's so good to be home."

"Yeah, I bet." Haley replied. However her smile quickly disappeared and was replaced with tears swarming in her big brown eyes. "I'm so glad you're okay, Lucas. I was really worried." She began to choke on her own tears as they traced down her cheeks.

"Aww Hales," Lucas gingerly took his best friend's hair and stroked it. "I'm right here, beautiful and I am not planning on going anywhere anytime soon. I've got too much to live for these days. I've got a little brother to look out for and make sure he makes it to the NBA and for someone to kick his butt," he motioned towards Nathan who smirked. "Haley, I've got you to make sure you get back on that stage and use that phenomenal voice of yours as well as be your fashion consultant even when I don't want to. I even got to make sure you two stay together always and forever, I have a …" He went to tell about his new sister on the way, but Nathan interrupted him,

"You have a nephew that needs a geeky uncle to teach him lame English quotes."

Lucas nodded and went to continue, but just as mouth opened it closed, as his eye brows rose. "Wait, what?"

"Lucas, I'm pregnant." Haley alleged.

Lucas's mouth instantly fell wide open against his own free will. His eye brows remained high up and he was sure his eyes themselves were ten feet in front of his face. His best friend was pregnant? Two of his favorite women were pregnant at the same time, there was no way. Wow.

"That's great Haley." Lucas choked up yet again. "You know you should tell my mom and she can tell you some news of her own."

Haley's head cocked over to the left slightly. Curiosity lead her to stand up and find her adoptive mom. Lucas looked over at his little brother who sat with a smile hugging the corners of his lips.

"Wow, man." Lucas said reaching out his hand to Nathan. "Congratulations! That's awesome." The boys slapped hands and smiled at one another.

Just like his wife however, Nathan's smiled disappeared and replaced with a frown. "I don't know how to say this, but dude you scared me. I thought I never was going to see my big brother again either because he was going die or just emotionally shut down. As much as you need us right now, I need you more then ever. I'm going to be a father and I am absolutely terrified. I never had a good example of a father but you did. You had Keith all these years. I need you to be around so you can teach me what he taught you."

Lucas smiled with tears brimming his eyes once more, "Of course little brother, I will be here every step of the way. Just like Keith did in my life."

Both boys sniffed their stay tears and cleared their throats. As they sat in silence pondering what to say next, they heard loud screaming twice followed by giggling.

Nathan and Lucas looked over at one another and rolled their eyes. "Women." Nathan grumbled sarcastically.

Haley and Karen came into the living room holding hands with bright smiles painted on their faces. The sight made Lucas overjoyed not only to see Haley so happy but his mom was back to her old self. The ladies delivered both their news to the only one who did not both women were bearing children inside of them.

Karen asked Nathan and Haley to stay over to watch a movie with Lucas since he could do little else. The couple obliged happily. They all curled up on the couch and watched one of Haley's favorite chick flicks which would usually annoy Lucas, but today he felt grateful to be able to watch with her and even more be apart of his nephew's life.

Keith was right. Lucas already began to feel the masterpiece of his life coming together as joy sparkled into his life again. Sure, the days ahead would be painful but well worth it. After all he had a wonderful mother, two great friends, and a baby sister and a nephew on the way. What more could a boy ask for?

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	17. Birthday in a Graveyard

The cold chilly air felt great pressed up against his face. After the long hot summer, this cool autumn day in October felt amazing. The leaves, colorful in red, orange, and yellow, hung on to the tips of tree branches for dear life. Half of them had already given up the battle of hanging on and surrendered to the cold ground.

As they sat upon the ground, they were kicked aside as a young man ran past them. Lucas, age twenty-two, ran pass them with his little sister Lily, age five today, on his back.

"Lukey, go faster! I want to see daddy!" she shrieked loudly.

Lucas picked up his speed to appease the little joy in his life on his back. He bolted up the hill at top speed which was nothing to sneeze at being he was carrying a forty pound five year old on his back, up hill, and with a still nagging heart condition that really had not given him too much grief since his senior year. The only true problems were when he exerted himself too much or let his emotions control him. Other then that, his heart was doing just dandy.

Lucas did have one problem. He was in love. Madly in love with the little girl on his back. He never figured he could love so much, where it would encompass his every part of his being. He loved his little sister so much, he simply could not get enough of her. He had made a promise months before she was expected to be born that he would be there every aspect of her life and he never intended on breaking it.

Even while Karen was pregnant Lucas was there every which way, whether that meant going into the store to buy a jar of pickles and a carton of vanilla ice cream to satisfy her crazy cravings, massaging her swollen feet, or never letting her out of his sight, he was there nevertheless. Even on the day she due, Lucas made his mother promise him that she would call when she was ready. With her stomach fully bloated, her hands on her hips, and sweat on her brow she nodded and promised for the fifteenth time.

Just as Lucas walked out of the door, she felt it was time. She called after him and without a moment passed, Lucas ran back into the house. He grabbed her sweater, placed in around her, as well as the hospital bag and took her out to the car. He placed his arm around her waist and gently led her down the stairs of the porch one by one. Together they performed the breathing patterns the instructors at Lamaze showed them. Lucas opened the door of the car for her and shut it behind her. Once she was inside, Lucas bolted to the other side of the car and shoved the keys in the ignition without much thought.

The car ride truly till this day was a blur. Lucas sped through the streets of Tree Hill to get his mom to the hospital as fast as he could. She sat in the passenger's seat groaning in pain as the contractions got closer and closer. She did not think she could make it any longer just as the pulled up to the Emergency Room doors. He bolted out of the car at top speed after putting the car in park and headed to his mom's door. He flung it open and brought her to standing position. He hurried her through the sliding doors and yelled for some help.

Instantly a nurse came over with a wheelchair and ordered Karen to sit in it. Lucas held onto her hand for a brief moment as he brought it up to kiss it gently. "I'll be right in there, ma!"

Lucas went with another nurse that helped him get ready to be there in the delivery room. He went in the room just as the doctor entered the room from another door. His mom was fully medicated and her legs were propped up in the stirrups. She called him over to his side and that's where he stood the entire four hour labor.

Just as Karen was about to give into exhaustion, a piercing cry sliced through the entire room. The nurses gathered around the little baby and kept on admiring how beautiful she looked. Lucas took his mother head in his hands and kissed her on the sweaty forehead.

"You did great mom," he praised.

Karen held her son's hand tight as they waited to see the new addition to their family. One of the nurses brought over the little bundle of joy wrapped in a pink blanket. She stretched over her arms and handed her to Karen. Lucas's eyes were locked on the beautiful creation for what seemed like centuries. He could hardly move as he stared into the all too familiar brown eyes and that crazy brown hair.

Tears rushed down his cheeks as he saw their father in the little baby's face. He reached out his fingers to gently touch her perfect face. "She's absolutely beautiful!" he declared as his voice cracked.

Till this day, October 20 2009 Lucas till believe with all of his heart that Lily Roe Scott was still beautiful. He truly found himself thankful he had lived past the most terrible month of his life so he could see her grow up into such a precious little girl.

Lucas stopped at the grave which sat under a large oak tree. He lowered himself to the ground and let Lily jump off of him. Once on the ground, Lily reached her tiny little hand to her big brother's and grabbed it. Her dark brown hair danced in the light wind as did her pretty lavender dress.

Lucas stared at the grave. That horrible day, which felt just like yesterday some days and yet some days it felt like hundreds of years ago, still had the power to twist at his heart as the all the memories came rushing back. There honestly was not a day where he did not miss or think of Keith and the incredible legacy he left behind. There were many days in Lily's life that Lucas wished her dad could have been there to see.

"Lukey," Lily spoke as she pulled on her big brother's arm to bring him back out of the fog he was in, "Tell me a funny story about daddy."

"Hmm," Lucas said as he got down on his knees. There were so many. "One time daddy and I wanted to surprise mommy buy making her cookies for Christmas when I was your age. I was trying to open to the flour bag for him but he thought I was going to make a mess, so he took it. He showed me how to open it by putting it between us but he pulled so hard it exploded. We had the powder all over our faces and hair. His face was so silly. The funny part was when mommy walked through the door and asked us what we were doing."

Lily giggled and inquired, "What did daddy say you were doing?"

Lucas smiled, "He said, 'Teaching Luke how not to open the flour bag'."

The two siblings laughed in harmony. Once their laughter subsided, Lily asked "Lukey, do you miss daddy?"

Lucas nodded. "I sure do. Sometimes everyday."

Lily looked at the grave in front of her as she spun her long chestnut hair around her finger. "I miss him too. Would he have loved me like he loved you?"

Lucas brought his sister into his arms and brought her chin up with his finger. "He would have adored you, Lily."

Lily's sad brown eyes lit up instantly. "Really?"

"Oh yeah, you would have been his little princess and I would have been so jealous!" he teased as he started tickling her.

Lily squealed as her brother continued to torture her over and over again by tickling her incessantly. He broke it off when he took a glance at his watch that Keith left behind for him.

"We got to go princess, we're gonna be late for daddy's, Jamie's and your birthday party!"

Lily pretended to put on lipstick and fiddled with her hair, "I believe I am allowed to be fashionably late to my own party." she spoke in a snooty voice but busted out laughing right after.

Lucas rolled his eyes as he laughed. Lily constantly said things that were way past her age and he absolutely loved it. "Well then my highness, let's take our time getting there."

Lucas stood up and stretched out his hand for his sister to grab. She placed her small delicate hand inside and the two walked down the hill together laughing and giggling at all the funny stories about their father. Lucas looked behind him at the grave and thought with a great big smile on his face.

"_Happy birthday dad!" _

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**FINISHED. **

_Dedicated to all those men who selflessly give their lives for children to have a man to call father, when the biological walks out, in their own lives, especially to one awesome father in particular, my own. You didn't have to be apart of my life but you've been there every step of the way these past twenty years and I greatly look forward to many more. I love you pappy! : ) _

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Hello friends, well it's done. I cannot believe I finished a story, this never happens ever but it was made possible with faithful readers and reviewers. Thank you for all the support, advice, and just bearing with me. I hope you enjoyed it. I feel confident in the how the story went and ended up. Thanks again to all my loyal followers and reviewers such as-

**Ash1984**- Thank you for your sweet constant, but helpful reviews. It has been a honor to write for your entertainment even when you were about to kill me for not updating! Thanks again, sweetheart! : )

**LongLiveBrucas**- Thank you for your constant reviews. They made me laugh often but I enjoyed them. : )

**RJMoonspell4**- Thanks for the coming in half way through and leaving extremely helpful reviews. I did not do everything you asked, but you helped me a ton. : )

**OTHRocksmysoxoff**- You dropped off the face of the earth after chapter 10, but I hope you've been still reading. You left very encouraging reviews and I thank you. : ) I am gonna read your fanfic, no matter how long it is. ; )

**Turner97**- You as well fell off the face of the earth but thank you for your reviews. I wonder if this truly was a tear jerker for you because if you say yes, then good! : ) You as well need to update your story, I check once a week to see if you updated and every week I am sadly disappointed. ; ) But thanks again! : )

**Everybody else**_- _Thank you for all who have read either anoymously or been one of my friends finally giving into me begging you to check the story out, thank you for taking time to read it all! I appreciate you reading it even if you didn't leave a review, hint-hint! : )

Next story in the process, Between You and Me- Lucas hiding a secret from everyone goes pretty well until someone finds out. Will she tell everyone or keep it. Will she fall for him in the process even though she's dating his jerk half brother. Check it out, I only have a chapter written due to the fact I wanted to finish this before I get to into this new one. Let me know if I should also pick up the only one and try to make something out of it.

Thanks again for all the reviews, love you all! : )

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